Electronic Product Code (EPC)

The Electronic Product Code (EPC) [1] is the next generation Universal Product Code (UPC), which one might know as Barcode. Recently confidential papers [2] have been made public that originally came from the EPC lobbyist Auto-ID [3]. Today I found yet another thread at ./ [4] on privacy concerns related to supply chains mostly realized with RFID [5].

This technology needs to be discussed. RFID offers lots of advantages compared to a simple barcode. Starting from here, RFID transponders can basically cover the same functionality as barcodes but depending on the integrated features or algorithm within such a chip there is more to come. RFID chips e.g. can not only carry a serial number but also memory like ROM or EEPROM to read or read/write data to the chip.

Since most of these chips are passive and have no internal power supply they do nothing unless they are asked for. So you need to have a reader or a basestation that emits energy via radio waves and simultaneously communicates with a single or multiple transponder chips. Common frequencies are 125kHz and 13,56MHz. There are trends to other, mostly higher frequencies though.

Having that technical information in the back of one\’s mind it is kind of obvious, that if such systems want to be successfull in a global spectrum, it cries for standardization. Communication protocols and chip specification need to be based on common sense. If an Italian teacher talks to German pupils, they will not understand each other unless they find a compromise.

So privacy concerns are legitimate if such a uniformed techonlogy will spread globally. And to come back to the barcode, it is hardly to see why this should not happen.

[1] http://common.ziffdavisinternet.com/download/0/1653/p106.pdf
[2] http://quintessenz.org/cgi-bin/index?funktion=view&id=000100002644
[3] http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=70503&cid=6402887
[4] http://www.autoidcenter.org
[5] http://transpondernews.com

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